Nuzzling Muzzles is the place where I write and exchange news about the large and powerful beasts we call horses.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Another Year Gone, Another Year to Come

It's that time of year when I search my blog for my resolutions of 2010 and see how they panned out.

This is what I wished for in 2010:

1. Train Gabbrielle under saddle successfully. (She got more time under saddle and then started having lameness issues, so we have more work ahead of us.)

2. Do more trail riding with all three horses. (I did a lot of trail riding with Lostine, but Bombay kept injuring himself in the trailer and then got a mean hoof abscess, and Gabbrielle went lame. Eventually, Lostine went lame as well due to pedal oseitis.)

3. Get a riding partner for the trails. (This didn't happen to no fault of my own. I did advertise for a riding partner and approached other riders on the trail, but I guess everyone thought I was an axe murderer. In the end I decided I prefer riding alone anyway.)

4. Make a career change into some field that moves at a slower pace and never asks for more than 40 hours a week of my time. (I got laid off in October and started a photography business, but am still waiting to turn a profit.)

5. Move onto a 40 acre farm with no neighbors and ride to my heart's content. (Yeah, right. Maybe when I win the lottery.)

6. Oh, and we can't forget the need to lose weight. I won't go into specifics. (This has happened, but I've still got plenty more to lose.)

7. If I have to see a doctor next year, let it be a good one, for God's sake. (I tried. I really tried, but somehow ended up back with my original doctor. Long story.)

8. Let it rain on the weekdays so that I don't have to hand-water, but leave the weekends clear and warm. (Nope. It's still raining and snowing on the weekends for the most part, but I do have more free time now.)

9. I want someone to invent a food machine that drops food into my mouth, so that I don't have to stop doing the things I enjoy in order to cook and eat three times a day. (Big buckets of trail mix became my friend.)

10. I want one of those soft, fuzzy jackrabbits under my apple trees to let me pet it for once instead of hopping away. (Nope. Still waiting for that to happen.)

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With that, here are my goals for 2011:

1. Take care of my family. My husband yearns for a new job, my son will be graduating from high school and entering college, my daughter will be entering her senior year of college and will be making big decisions about the next path to take, and my mother's health is failing her. This will be challenging year for all of us.

2. Start making money doing something I actually enjoy.

3. Keep my horses healthy. I'm keeping this one simple, because I'm tired of the disappointment of not being able to ride due to horse injuries.

4. Continue my recent effort at exercising both myself and the dogs through jogging.

5. Finish at least one novel for once in my life. I've attempted this multiple times, but before I can complete a novel, I always get thrown into some job that sucks up all of my time. I've been putting in long hours to try to beat the clock on this one.

6. This is a tricky one, because it requires both money and time, but I'd really like to visit my blogger pals in the southwest, and use the time to scope out new living arrangements to someday escape my outrageously nosy and annoying neighbors.

7. Improve my photography.

8. Stay out of doctors' offices and hospitals.

9. Focus more on the spiritual.

10. Finish that dang king-sized Storm at Sea quilt I've been working on for several years.

Our current bed quilt is thrashed and I'm cold all the time. However, I must mention that I do have my purple Snuggie, purchased for me by my son as a Christmas gift, and that thing is a science in itself: Lightweight, yet traps in all the body heat. Truly awesome. Too bad it's too long to ride a horse in. Hmmmm. Perhaps it's time I invent a lightweight fleece riding suit complete with gloves and hand-warmers. I'll call it the Onesie Close Contact Wedgie-Free Snugger with Hoodie, Riding Helmet, Riding Boots, and Riding Gloves. There will be a flaps in the back and front for emergency relief, and pockets for peppermints, of course. Next I will move on to inventing the lightweight fleece whole body, head, tail, and hoof Horse Snugger. You can turn your horse any color you desire, including tie-dye, hunter vest orange, or camouflage.

12 comments:

LOL I LOVE your inventions. Get to work because I want one lol. I don't think I need the horse snugger because Chrome doesn't get cold, but I'll take the human one. :D

It sounds like you did really well regarding last years resolutions. The ones you weren't able to complete were no fault of your own . . . the weather lol. I like number nine though. I hate having to eat three meals a day. :)

achieve1dream - You know, your screen name sounds like a New Year's Resolution in itself. I have you down for one human Snugger that will probably never be crafted, but thanks for the pre-order.

Jeni - LOL. I've seen those sleazies. That's what I was imagining, except just to make it more outrageous, mine will cover the legs and hooves. I suspect there will be a lot of tripping, falling, rolling and ripping horses.

Good luck with the resolutions/wishes.I do hope some or all work out. And let me know when you beging to market 5the snugger! I want to be one of the first to buy!HAppy New Year, my friend ,I wish you all the best in the coming year

Finishing a novel is tough - I've finished one, but the second one is taking me FOREVER. It's best to have a friend to push you - that's how I finished my first one. I had obligations to send chapters every week and there's nothing like an external deadline to get you to finish a job.

I'll take an orange riding snuggie. If you can work in a little purple, that would be good - I'll pay the up charge. :)

I must chuckle at the idea of wearing a snuggie on a horse. I would like a snuggie for my feet only. They are the only part of me that cannot stay warm on the trail. I hope you can accomplish everything on your list, and that mother nature does her part to make it all possible...for once!

OOoh! I want a full body Snugger, too! Can you make mine in leopard print?Alas I didn't get a snuggie for Christmas after all. But I do have a fuzzy pink fleece bathrobe that I live in most of the winter. :)

I'd be a little concerned about Apache wearing a camo snugger because then she could sneak up on me...and...well, you know how that could turn out. ouch! lol!

You didn't to too bad on meeting your 2010 goals. And I wish you much success on meeting your 2011 goals!

I want a riding snuggie - I'd like it to be in some sort of pretty, wild colored print. As for #6, come visit any time. You can see us at house number 1, where we have neighbors but they aren't too noisy or nosy, or house number 2 where neighbors are more distant! Happy Mew Year!

Oh what I could do with 40 acres but like you will have to win the lottery. LOL

Anything to keep me warm while riding would be greatly appreciated. So far there's nothing out there that works so you might have something there although I think about all that fleece as a huge magnet for itchy sticky shavings. LOL

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In order to give advice, you first have to assume that you are more knowledgeable on the subject than the person you are advising. This can be insulting to the person receiving the advice.

I am a writer who loves to tell stories about animals. In order to hold the reader's attention, I often write stories that involve challenges or tension. Unfortunately, a lot of readers interpret this as an invitation to give advice on how to solve the problems portrayed in the stories.

My advice to you: Just enjoy, and appreciate being entertained.

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Please note that I am not a horse training professional, but just an average jane fumbling her way along the journey of raising and training horses. This is a blog in which I share what works and what doesn't for me and my horses. What works for you and your horses may be different. Working with horses can be a very rewarding, yet dangerous activity. The comments on this site are sometimes the opinions of others who work with horses as well. My readers and I will not assume any liability for your actions.

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About NuzMuz

I am a part-time photographer, part-time writer, part-time property caretaker, full-time wife, full-time animal caretaker, part-time fabric artist, part-time amateur horse trainer, part-time amateur dog trainer, full-time time management failure -- not necessarily in that order. I have three Arabian horses: Bombay, Lostine, and Gabbrielle. I also have a Pembroke Corgi named Midgerator (Midge), a Chiweenie named Scrappy, and a tiny mystery Chi mix named Stewie.

The Cast

Bombay: 19 year old flea-bitten grey domestic Arabian gelding from the Khemosabi bloodline. First horse, acquired by us as a yearling.

Lostine: 29 year old chestnut Polish Arabian mare from the Enrilo bloodline. Acquired by us as a 13 year old broodmare.

Gabbrielle: 12 year old grey domestic Arabian mare from the Khemosabi bloodline. Acquired by us as a yearling.

Rock: 10 year old grade Quarter Horse from unknown bloodline. Acquired by us as a 6 year old trail horse.

Midge: 14 year old Welsh Cardigan Corgi dog suffering from diabetes, poor eyesight and poor hearing. Acquired by us as a puppy.

Scrappy: 17 to 18 year old black and gray Dachshund/Chihuahua mix with poor eyesight, poor hearing, and incontinence. Acquired by us as a 10 to 12 year old homeless pet.

Stewie: 4 year old tan and white Chihuahua/probably Min Pin mix. Found and adopted by us as a 6 month old stray.